HERRING STILL GAINING: Of Virginia’s razor-thin AG race, per the Richmond Times-Dispatch, “In an attorney general's race that remains too close to call, Republican Mark Obenshain began Monday with a 17-vote edge over Democrat Mark Herring. But by afternoon, the pendulum had swung the other way when the numbers in four Richmond precincts were updated, putting Herring ahead by 117 votes out of more than 2 million cast statewide.

“. . . The still-unofficial results reflect absentee ballots from Fairfax County, but do not reflect provisional ballots in the state's biggest county, where, as of Monday, 172 of 493 had been accepted. A total of 3,158 provisional ballots were cast statewide. The Fairfax County Electoral Board will continue its review of provisional ballots today and plans to report its certified results to the state by the end of the day.” http://bit.ly/1eGLIxv

ON SECOND THOUGHT: Never mind, per the Baltimore Sun, “Annapolis Alderman Ross Arnett has been fielding angry calls from as far as California since Sunday, when it was reported that the Democrat would move to sharply curtail the power of the mayor, days after the city elected the first Republican to the job in 16 years. "I am getting hate calls from all over the country on this. … I can't believe it. They're calling me a fascist," said Arnett, backing off statements that he wants to shift to a form of government that would reduce the mayor to little more than a ceremonial role.

“Arnett said he has supported changing to a council-manager form of government in the past and has discussed it recently with fellow aldermen, but he said, "I'm not introducing any legislation. … There are no plans to file any legislation." Under a council-manager system, an appointed manager would run the city and report to the council, not the mayor.” http://bsun.md/19YQpiG

BAD SPORTS: Or something like that, per the Washington Post, “A sparse crowd watched the Firebirds of the University of the District of Columbia begin the men’s basketball season this week, a loss to New Hampshire’s Franklin Pierce University. It just might be the last home opener the Firebirds ever play.

“UDC, which for years has struggled to fulfill the role of a public flagship university, is in the midst of an intensive quest to cut costs, raise revenue and define its mission. The university’s interim president, James E. Lyons Sr., wants UDC to add students, stay affordable and prepare graduates for jobs in high-demand fields. To reach those goals, Lyons has proposed disbanding all of the school’s athletics teams, which play in the NCAA’s Division II.” http://wapo.st/1bm0m6H

TERRY’S VETO THREAT: Of uranium, per the Virginian-Pilot, “Gov.-elect Terry McAuliffe said Monday he would veto any legislation to facilitate uranium mining in Virginia.

“The issue has resonance in Hampton Roads, which draws drinking water from Lake Gaston, downstream from a rich uranium deposit in Pittsylvania County. Mining interests have been trying for years to get a 31-year-old moratorium lifted so the ore can be mined. Speaking with reporters after a Veterans Day event at Nauticus, McAuliffe said he would veto any bill to lift the moratorium or to establish a regulatory framework for mining.” http://bit.ly/1bpoqJ7

PHILIPPINES: A grim picture, per the New York Times, “Decomposing bodies still lie along the roads, like a corpse in a pink, short-sleeve shirt and blue shorts facedown in a black, muddy puddle 100 yards from the airport. Just down the road is a church that was supposed to be an evacuation center but is littered with the bodies of those who drowned inside.

“. . . Typhoon Haiyan, among the most powerful in history, slammed into the eastern Philippine city of Tacloban on Friday and cut a path of devastation barreling west across the archipelago nation. In its wake, corpses lay along roads lined with splintered homes and toppled power lines, as the living struggled to survive, increasingly desperate for fresh drinking water, food and shelter. The damage to everything is so great that it is hard even to tally. Mass graves began to fill as relief efforts struggled to get underway.” http://nyti.ms/18mudef

MEANWHILE: Looking at the future, per the Los Angeles Times, “Climate change will disrupt not only the natural world but also society, posing risks to the world's economy and the food and water supply and contributing to violent conflict, an international panel of scientists says.

“The warnings came in a report drafted by the United Nations-backed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The 29-page summary, leaked and posted on a blog critical of the panel, has been distributed to governments around the world for review. It could change before it is released in March.” http://lat.ms/1e0FjdE

OBAMACARE: And bean counters, per The Hill, “A new flurry of enrollment estimates for ObamaCare suggests the administration will have a lackluster figure to announce when it releases its official early enrollment count later this week. Fewer than 50,000 people have successfully purchased private health plans on marketplaces linked to HealthCare.gov, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.

“In a separate analysis, consulting firm Avalere Health found that about 50,000 people have enrolled in either private coverage or Medicaid through 12 state-based exchanges. Both numbers would be disappointing for the administration, which hoped to sign up at least 500,000 people in October, according to internal memos cited by congressional Republicans.” http://bit.ly/1diQ3mA

POLITICO PLAY: “There are three words that strike terror in the hearts of Wall Street bankers and corporate executives across the land: President Elizabeth Warren. The anxiety over Warren grew Monday after a magazine report suggested the bank-bashing Democratic senator from Massachusetts could mount a presidential bid in 2016 and would not necessarily defer to Hillary Clinton — who is viewed as far more business-friendly — for the party’s nomination.

“And the fear is not only that Warren, who channels an increasingly popular strain of Occupy Wall Street-style anti-corporatism, might win. That is viewed by many political analysts as a slim possibility. It is also that a Warren candidacy, and even the threat of one, would push Clinton to the left in the primaries and revive arguments about breaking up the nation’s largest banks, raising taxes on the wealthy and otherwise stoking populist anger that is likely to also play a big role in the Republican primaries.” http://politi.co/1j0AqSh

LAWN MOWER GUY: He’s back, per the Washington Times, “How do you thank a man who took it upon himself to landscape the Lincoln Memorial during last month’s federal government shutdown? With a chain saw, of course, and a few extra bucks to cover city parking tickets. A month after Charleston, S.C., resident Chris Cox was spotted mowing the lawn around the Lincoln Memorial, the man who dubbed himself the “first member of the Memorial Militia Group” will return to the monument to accept a chain saw and roughly $1,800 collected by a charity group’s online fundraiser.” http://bit.ly/HTIHLI

STEADY AS SHE GOES IN D.C.: No shock, this, per City Paper, “A new study examining how 30 cities in the country weathered the Great Recession is out, and thanks to lots of federal money, D.C. fared better than most.

“The District received an additional $1.1 billion in government aid between 2008-2011, according to the The Pew Charitable Trusts study, "America’s Big Cities in Volatile Times." This helped offset a loss of revenue from other sources; during this period the District lost $29 million in property taxes, $171 million in income taxes, $25 million in sales taxes, and $63 million in other taxes.” http://bit.ly/16WO4nc

MARYLAND GOVERNOR’S RACE: Of running mates, per Gazette.Net, “Of the seven candidates vying to be Maryland’s next governor, three have yet to declare a running mate.

“But Del. Heather Mizeur looks to announce her pick this week. Mizeur (D-Dist. 20) of Takoma Park is scheduled to name her running mate at a campaign rally Wednesday evening in Silver Spring. Her announcement would make just Republicans Del. Ronald A. George (R-Dist. 30) of Arnold and Charles Lollar the only ones left to complete their tickets.” http://bit.ly/HU9hUU

BOOZE BUSTERS: Or something like that, per the Frederick News-Post, “More eyes will be monitoring Frederick County bars and restaurants next summer after the Board of County Commissioners approved funding for an additional part-time liquor inspector. Two inspectors, one full-time and one part-time, are currently employed by the Frederick County liquor board.” http://bit.ly/1aC8v5Q

TRENDING ON ABC7 FACEBOOK: “Congratulations to the Gallaudet University football team! For the first time in 149 years of school history, the Gallaudet Bison have made the NCAA playoffs. The school competes against hearing-capable athletes at other Division III schools, and this year, the team is undefeated and receiving national attention.” http://wj.la/19eP82l

NEWSTALK: Among today’s guests (10 a.m., NewsChannel 8) is Jeremiah Lowery of the Restaurant Opportunities Center, who will be asked about the campaign to require mandatory sick leave.